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Thursday, November 03, 2011

45North Hüsker Dü Fat Bike Tire

David of 45North was kind enough to lend us a prototype Hüsker Dü tire to check out. I've actually had the pleasure of riding this tire in the sandy MN river bottoms. I loved it. It rolls noticeably faster than a Larry, and corners quite well. Oddly enough from a company who's job is designing winter specific parts, I think this will likely be the best fat bike tire for general mtb use in summer.

Bold, modern graphics really make these tires stand out. This shot really shows the large side knobs well. These corner extremely well. They are not as aggressive as the Surly Nates, which may be a good thing. You can also see the squared off, blocky mid knobs above the side knobs. The ramped center knobs are visible at the top of the tire.

Profile wise this tire is flatter than a Larry on the same rim. It's casing shape is similar to the Surly Endomorph. This is on a 82mm Rolling Darryl rim. I expect the tire to be more round shaped on a 65mm rim such as the new Surly Marge Lite or classic Large Marge.

My overall ride impression of these was great. They roll like crazy, corner well, and wade through sand with aplomb. I am excited to get these in the shop. They will be my go to summer tire for my soon to be lighter Pofahl. They will be really fun to try in winter of course as well.

Due date on these is right after Thanksgiving. We will be getting 5 or 6 sets in stock as soon as they are available.

Josh, they are no bigger than a Larry or Endo at the casing. I would think they would fit without drivetrain mods if your current tires fit. If you have rub with current tires, you'll likely have rub with these.